Things Get Weird in the 2 Chainz's Video for 'Birthday Song'

THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2012|

Posted by: Andrew Gruttadaro

Twenty years ago, the hip-hop LA house party video was a known trope. Low-riding Impalas, Raiders caps, fridges filled with Olde English -- we were comfortable with that stuff. Boy, how things have changed. 2 Chainz and Kanye West's video for "Birthday Song" is a cross between classic hip-hop video themes and surreal art house filmmaking. Girls are dressed as cakes, clowns get beat up, Pakistani men drink 40s -- it's a bizarre, awkward mess. Director Andreas Nilsson is known for doing MGMT, Yeasayer, and the Knife's videos, so that explains all the weirdness. And one thing definitely stuck out to him while listening to "Birthday Song": what 2 Chainz calls "big booty hoes." There are definitely a lot of those here.